The Road to Paris: A data-informed approach to Olympic weightlifting
Q&A with Wes Kitts & Jake Lohr
Wes Kitts: Wes Kitts is an elite Olympic weightlifter for Team USA who competed in the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, holding American records across three weight categories since 2016. A prominent figure in the sport, Wes owns Be Somebody Performance and CrossFit BSG, where he coaches and trains future athletes in Olympic weightlifting. His dedication to the sport has made him a key contributor to the weightlifting community as a competitor and a coach.
Jake Lohr: Dr. Jacob Lohr is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. He is the co-founder of Nomadic Physical Therapy alongside his wife, Mariah. He has been the lead physical therapist for the Be Somebody Performance Weightlifting team since February 2024.
In early 2024, members of Team USA Olympic Weightlifting reached out to VALD to learn more about how objective testing technology could help them prepare for the Paris Olympics.
Since integrating ForceDecks into their practice, practitioners and athletes like Jake Lohr and Wes Kitts have collaborated with VALD to effectively implement technology in Olympic weightlifting, preparing for the world's largest weightlifting event.
Olympic weightlifting demands elite strength, power, mobility and stability throughout the entire body. Judged by the maximum amount of weight lifted in two separate lifts (the snatch and the clean and jerk), this sport is known for its high technical and physical demands.
The Demands of Weightlifting
Before the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wes Kitts suffered an injury during training, leading to a significant setback in his preparation for the event. Wes and his physical therapist, Jake Lohr, used ForceDecks to help monitor his progress in training and rehab, making sure he was ready for this year's Olympic Games.
Before the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wes Kitts suffered an injury… Wes and his physical therapist, Jake Lohr, used ForceDecks to help monitor his progress in training and rehab, making sure he was ready for this year's Olympic Games.
What was the first thing you noticed about your testing data when you started working with ForceDecks?
Wes: For me, it was crazy to see how much more I’m using my right side for the lifts that I think I’m pushing evenly through. When you put me on the plates, you can see I’m primarily using my right side for force production in almost any task. So, whether it’s with a barbell on my back or even a vertical jump test, we can see exactly how much force I’m using on each side and what my asymmetries look like within each session.
We’ll never know for sure, but if we had been tracking with technology earlier in my training, we might have been able to reduce the burden or impact of my injury and get back even sooner than we already have.
We’ll never know for sure, but if we had been tracking [these movements] earlier…we might have been able to reduce the burden or impact of my injury…
What areas make testing and assessment for Olympic Weightlifting different from other sports?
Jake: Some athletes, like those in team sport, may perform weightlifting as a training method or accessory lift for their sport. The only difference for us is that our training surrounds those two key lifts. It’s no longer a training method, but a competition of supporting as much weight as possible in each lift.
So, whether we’re training strength in compromising positions, pushing heavy loads or working at fast speeds, we're doing everything possible to prepare for the very specific demands of the snatch and the clean and jerk.
The bright side of this is consistency. Unlike a sport like football, where no two plays are the same, weightlifting is executed nearly the same exact way every time. The only variations occur from poor technique or lack of focus.
This makes data collection easier and more transferable to our sport, as we test using methods that are very similar to our training and competition. For us, performing an isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) is highly specific, as it replicates the second pull phase of both the snatch and clean movements.
For us, performing an IMTP is highly specific, as it replicates the second pull of both the snatch and clean movements.
What other movements have you tested that have led you to new insights with Wes?
Jake: Surprisingly, what we’ve found successful in identifying deficits and changes with Wes is his landing mechanics from our jump testing. Here, we’ve been able to track his asymmetry data and noticed that his asymmetries with landing were very closely tied to his reports of discomfort during training.
This led us to be more attuned to some of the lower extremity deficits we knew he was working through and allowed us to change his programming to focus more on small, isolated areas like his quads and glutes before going back to the Olympic lifts.
Another aspect of our jump testing that we’ve paid close attention to is the metrics related to the concentric phase of his jump.
We’ve been clued in on his asymmetry numbers during the rehab process to ensure he can push through both legs evenly during high-effort activities. This is especially important during concentric actions as they're closely tied to his ability to lift and thrust the bar into the air.
[Concentric asymmetry] is especially important during the concentric phases as that’ll be the most related to his ability to lift and thrust the bar into the air.
Between repetitions, the results on the iPad allow me to give Wes more specific feedback on how he’s loading his legs so we can best optimize our training sessions.
Finally, as previously mentioned, the IMTP has been extremely beneficial in quantifying peak force asymmetries that occur during the transition phase of the clean and snatch movements. This allows us to be more specific in how we dose and prescribe his accessory work to ensure we’re keeping his asymmetries in check while still getting as strong as possible.
What role are the asymmetries playing in your training decisions for these athletes?
Jake: Weightlifting isn’t a perfectly symmetrical sport. The most common jerk type is the split jerk, where one leg is in front, and the other is behind you, like a lunge position. If you train in this position for long enough, you’re bound to develop some type of asymmetrical tendencies.
This isn’t necessarily bad, but we like to track Wes’ asymmetries to ensure that both sides are developing as needed during training.
If we see that one side is progressing at a faster rate than the other or see any sudden changes in asymmetry numbers, then we may change his accessories or look back on his previous block of training to assess why this came about in the first place.
Most of the time, we use asymmetries during rehab to flag any deficits that may need extra attention.
If we see that one side is progressing at a faster rate than the other, then we may change his accessories to make sure that the weaker side can catch up.
Wes finishing the clean and jerk at the Paris 2024 Olympics with longitudinal tracking options of various bilateral and asymmetry metrics in
VALD Hub
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What about implementing technology has been the biggest help for your team so far?
Jake: I think the biggest help has been getting buy-in from athletes like Wes. With ForceDecks, we’re able to quantify and attach metrics to a lot of training variables that we previously based on “feel.”
When you can show them a validated tool that provides quality data about what they’re doing on each rep, it gives the athletes confidence that our training is putting them on the right track.
As a practitioner, it is also helpful for me to dive a bit deeper and understand which areas we need to focus on more in our programming so that we can build the strongest and most powerful athlete possible.
When you can show them…quality data about what they’re doing on each rep, it gives the athletes confidence that our training is putting them on the right track.
I think anyone can have an opinion about one lift “looking better” than another, but with ForceDecks, we’re able to track and measure the qualities that are trending up and down to confidently say that improvements are being made on a regular basis.
What has shocked you about the information that you’ve gotten from ForceDecks?
Jake: The biggest shock for us is to see the differences in squat symmetry and quality when Wes is loaded versus when he’s unloaded.
Contrary to what some might think, his loaded squat is the one that looks significantly better in terms of his symmetry, depth and overall performance measures, whereas his air squat has room for improvement.
We also see similar findings of when he’s “fresh” versus “fatigued” immediately after a training session. Once he starts to use his body and get under some heavy load, his reps look considerably better than they did at the beginning of a session.
It seems that, after years of training, his body has adapted and prefers to squat with heavy loads due to his constant exposure to heavy weightlifting. It was certainly a shock at first, but now it makes sense and is consistent with his reports of feeling more stable and stronger with heavier loads.
Wes successfully competed and finished 8th overall at the Paris Olympics in the 102kg weight class.
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